


Bump, Set... SPIKE

by poor_dumb_killian



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 16:23:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4712561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poor_dumb_killian/pseuds/poor_dumb_killian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A CS one-shot loosely based off the following prompt: a sand volleyball game was scrounged up and we’re on opposite teams and we got really competitive but i accidentally spiked the ball in your face and oh my god is your nose broken why is it bleeding so much??</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bump, Set... SPIKE

**Author's Note:**

  * For [catsophia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/catsophia/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAT (aka cat-sophia on Tumblr)!!!! I know, like me, you are a sucker for modern AUs. Here is a little one-shot that came to mind because of a bar near my house that I based "The Dungeon" after in the story (yes, there is really a bar with basically an adult playground attached). Thanks to Amy (zengoalie) for being my beta and title helper! Enjoy!

Emma’s coworkers had a weekly ritual. Every Friday night, they would go home to get out of their stuffy work clothes and meet up at a bar down the road.

The Dungeon wasn’t a regular, run-of-the-mill drinking establishment. Sure, it had a room with a large, square bar in the middle, but the exciting stuff laid outside. There were a handful of sand volleyball nets, pool tables, dart boards and something called cornhole; plus a dozen fire pits surrounded by comfortable chairs.

Emma had never experienced these things first-hand; she always heard about them Monday morning in the break room while her coworkers chatted excitedly about their activities Friday night.

It wasn’t like she wasn't invited - in fact, a few of her coworkers made a specific point in asking her to join them - it was more that she never wanted to go.

For a woman so able to pick up on other people’s lies, she sure wasn’t good at censuring her own. If she was to be brutally honest with herself, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to go. It was quite the opposite, she wanted to go; and that desire was what always stopped her in her tracks. Emma Swan did not rely on anyone, and she didn't need friends to gauge her self-worth.

Her steadfast reluctance this week could also have something to do with the fact that Killian Jones from legal was going.

He had moved to the Boston office from London earlier this week. Emma always avoided the office rumor mill, but he caused such a tizzy amongst the female staff members that escaping the buzz was out of the question. She heard his name through whispers long before she ever saw the man himself.

It was Thursday morning when she caught her first glimpse of Killian Jones as he was walking into her bosses office. Emma was the payroll specialist for their branch and her boss, Elsa Arendelle, was the human resources director. Emma was just getting back from the break room with her fresh cup of coffee when she saw a mop of black hair atop a firm set of shoulders; well-defined in a perfectly taylored, charcoal grey suit.

Emma was so caught up in the view that she didn’t even see Elsa until she spoke, “Good morning, Emma!”

Emma cringed; she did not want to meet Killian Jones. She had no desire to put a face to the name the office had been whispering for days. So, she did what any grown woman would do.

She waved quickly with a curt smile to Elsa, “Morning!” before she ducked into her office as fast as she could; retreating to her desk, and her solitude.

She thought she caught a flash of devastatingly blue eyes and definitely saw a well-defined jaw. She understood immediately what all the buzz was about; the man was sex-on-legs.

Unfortunately, her lunch break that afternoon was turning out to be just as informative as all her other stops in the break room. She just hoped she could eat lunch and escape without being drawn into the conversation.

“Have you seen the new guy in legal?” Ariel, the receptionist, asked Belle from accounting, “His name is Killian and he is dreamy. I heard he transferred from London.”

Emma didn't even try to contain her eyeroll. She had her back turned to them while she punched in the time needed for her frozen lunch.

“OOOO!” Belle exclaimed far louder than appropriate in the quiet breakroom, “Does he have an accent?”

“Oh he does, it’s almost as beautiful as his eyes,” Ariel said. Emma could see the far-off look on her face through the reflection of the microwave. She almost laughed out loud at the grown women and the audacity of their behavior.

“How do you know?” Belle asked, “Have you met him?”

Emma opened the microwave right before it beeped to avoid drawing any attention and moved to sit in the furthest table she could. She was well aware of her reputation of being antisocial, and she didn't see the problem with it at all. She never needed anyone before, so she didn't need a bunch of friends now.

“He kissed the back of my hand when he was introduced to me Monday morning,” Ariel sighed happily. Emma stabbed at her food and choked back another snort while Ariel stared longingly at her hand; as if she could still feel his lips. She sighed contently, “It was so romantic.”

It was moments like these when Emma was glad she had earned a prickly reputation. She was fairly safe from them noticing her if she managed not to draw their attention. A feat that was easier said than done after another five minutes of conversation while she finished scarfing down her barely-edible lunch.

She was close to finished, and nearly safe, when Mary Margaret and David walked in. Emma sighed and sunk into her chair, resound in the fact she would no longer be able to avoid conversation.

Mary Margaret and David were married and had become like family to Emma. When she first got a job as payroll clerk and David had found out she didn’t have family, he made her come along with them to his mother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Ruth immediately took Emma under her wing and became like the mother she never had.

It was wonderful. Except now she was going to be forced to talk, and the topic was - as always - Killian Jones.

“Oh, he is rather dreamy,” Mary Margaret said. Emma missed the first part of the conversation, but she didn't need to hear it to know who they were speaking of. “Not really my type, but I can definitely appreciate the appeal.”

“Yea, he has that accent too,” David said with a thoughtful look on his face. This elicited a giggle from all of the girls.

“David!” Mary Margaret lightly smacked him on the arm, “Should I be worried?”

“What?” David asked with his eyebrows raised high, “I can admit when a guy is good looking. And chicks dig accents.” He pointed a finger at Mary Margaret matter-of-factly before looking at Emma, “Right, Emma?”

She groaned and decided playful banter was her best bet at deflection, “I always thought you were only using Mary Margaret as a cover. You should really go confess your true feelings to Mr. Jones, Dave.”

This got the whole group laughing as she stood to clear her lunch mess. Just as she was about to leave Mary Margaret piped up, “Have you met Killian yet, Emma?”

She was steps away from freedom. She didn't move from her spot, but half pivoted in their direction so she wasn't overly rude. “No,” she said with a tight smile, “I haven't met him yet.”

“Oh you really should!” Mary Margaret said excitingly, “You two would make such a cute couple.”

Mary Margaret gushed on a bit about how attractive the two of them were and what cute babies they would make. Emma was trying not to freak out as the room started to feel small and confined. Her only saving grace was the discomfort of the other two girls while Mary Margaret suggested they have a summer wedding.

Dave seemed to sense Emma’s discomfort and gave her an out, “Isn't Thursday your busy payroll day?”

“Yes, Dave,” Emma said with a knowing smile, “I should really get back to it. Have a great rest of your day!”

She all but ran to the sanctity of her office.

* * *

Friday morning Emma was in no mood to hear the name Killian Jones. Her sleep the night before consisted of strange dreams. She was chasing a man whose face she could never clearly see; he was always right out of her reach.

Needless to say, she didn’t feel very rested when she awoke. So it was the kind of morning where breakroom coffee just wouldn’t cut it. She needed professional help.

It came in the form of espresso from the coffee cart in front of their building that charged way too much. She almost never shelled out $9 for a cup of coffee with two shots of espresso; but not only was she tired, she didn’t want to hear one more giggling voice talking about _Killian Jones_ until at least lunch.

She was two people away from finally ordering her blessed coffee when she heard a giggle approaching from behind. She recognized it as Ariel’s and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Of course she wasn’t lucky enough to avoid it all.

* * *

Killian’s first week at the new office had gone off without a hitch. He knew he was the talk of the office rumor-mill, but he was hoping the buzz would die down quickly.

It was Friday morning, and as he stepped off the train to head towards the office he ran into the office receptionist, Ariel.

“Hello Ariel, how are you on this fine morning?” he asked as she stepped up beside him on the sidewalk.

Ariel giggled flippantly and batted her eyelashes at him before responding, “You have such a way with words, Mr. Jones.”

She was a lovely lass, though a bit quick to giggle for his taste… she was also about as subtle as a flashing, neon sign. He’d made a number of mistakes back in London; mistakes he was determined to learn from. He had his heart crushed over a year before by a woman he was convinced was the one. Milah cured him of that delusion the moment she mentioned her husband; and in the next breath stated she was going back him.

After that dose of reality he went a bit wild. He drank himself into stupors and bedded any woman who showed him any interest. Many of those women were coworkers; the longer his womanizing went on, the more complicated things got at work.

After a long talk with his brother, and a lot of soul searching, Killian decided for a fresh start at the Boston office. A fresh start that included staying far, far away from all of his female coworkers.

Ariel continued babbling on during their short walk to the office. Killian kept his answers short because he didn’t want to lead the poor woman on.

“How do you like Boston so far?” Ariel asked.

“It’s a big change from London,” he said with a smile, “and that is exactly what I needed. Though, the coffee in the break room leaves a lot to be desired.”

Ariel giggled (again), “Yea, I like to treat myself every Friday to the expensive coffee cart out front.”

“Is it any good? I saw the prices and must admit I was deterred.”

“Oh yes, it’s quite tasty!” She exclaimed happily and continued to babble on about her favorite drink and what Janice in accounting liked (or some nonsense).

Killian wasn’t trying to be rude, but he couldn’t concentrate on Ariel. His eyes were locked on a mass of bright, blonde curls waiting in the line at the coffee cart. He had seen those curls in a blur yesterday when he was going into the HR office to finalize his paperwork. He remembered them being attached to long, lean legs and a subtle rear. That was all the glimpse he got of her, as she made a mad-dash for an office before he could turn and properly introduce himself.

She was in his dreams all night, just out of reach. Every time his fingers brushed against her soft, blonde hair she was gone again. There were three people in line between him and her, and he was cursing every one of them for blocking his view. He wanted to know what the whole picture looked like; he was desperate to see her face. He just needed her to turn around.

Her shoulders were stiff as she received her coffee (mocha-latte, double-shot with almond milk - not that he was eavesdropping, mind you) and turned to the office building. Part of him felt like she was intentionally ignoring him, which was ridiculous. She didn’t even know him, why would she avoid him?

He couldn’t help his eyes tracking her as she left the line. He caught a glimpse of her profile with beautiful, high cheekbones and long lashes. It was casual Friday, so everyone in the office would be a little more relaxed today. She was no exception with skintight jeans, knee-high brown leather boots and a flowy white blouse. She was a vision, and he had to mentally kick himself because he had promised himself he would behave around coworkers.

He continued to remind himself of his vow of celibacy at work before he was interrupted by Ariel, “That’s Emma Swan. She’s in payroll and she’s an ice queen.”

His immediate reaction was to defend her, which was ludicrous because he didn’t even know her. So he bit back his remark and opted instead for, “Why do you say that, lass?”

His eyes continued to track her until she disappeared behind the glass as Ariel spoke, “She never talks to anyone - well she talks to Mary Margaret and Dave - but never anyone else. I’m pretty sure she hates the world, or something.”

Dave was a sales manager, whom Killian had gotten to know quite well over the last four days, so he couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face, “Oh, I dont know. She talks to them, so obviously she isn’t an ice queen.”

He ordered his coffee and Ariel continued to babble on about all of the rumors surrounding Emma Swan. He zoned out, not wishing to hear such things. Rumors were all-too-often blatant lies and he made it a point to avoid them in his life.

He wondered what had happened to her in the past to make her so closed off from the world as he made his way into the office to start his day.

* * *

Emma heaved a sigh of relief as she sat down in the comfort of her office. She couldn’t explain it, but somehow she could feel his eyes on her. As she turned from the coffee cart, she confirmed her suspicions in her peripheral vision. His eyes were a stunning shade of blue, and they were locked firmly on her.

Unable to avoid the rumor mill that week, she had heard of his reputation at the London office. Apparently, Regina in sales dated a coworker of his in London and had all of the scoop. Supposedly he was a womanizer and a sexist pig. She tried not to take too much stock in what she had heard, rumors were very scarcely kind. They usually took all of the worst parts of a story and twisted them to make it much worse. But she wondered if she was just his next target; the next notch in his bedpost.

It didn’t matter anyways, she didn’t care about Killian Jones and his blue eyes. She tried to push all thought of him from her mind as she pushed through with her work. She had vacation requests to approve and verifications to fill out.

It was almost lunch time when there was a light knock on her door, she looked up to the smiling face of Elsa. For the first time all day, Emma relaxed into her chair with a smile, “Hi, Elsa!”

“Hey, Em! Did you get the information from the London office for Killian?” she asked, right to business. One of her favorite things about Elsa was her no-nonsense attitude. She got right to the important stuff, then chatted if needed.

“Yea, they sent it over yesterday,” Emma said, “I was just waiting on his updated contact info.”

Elsa handed over a sheet with elegant, swirly writing, “Here you go. Can you please forward this to the London office for their records?”

Emma was still gawking at the beautiful penmanship trying to contain an eyeroll because - _seriously, who wrote like this still_?

“Hello? Earth to Emma,” Elsa said with a singsong tone.

“Yea - um - what? Oh, right… I’ll send this over to London,” Emma said, fumbling her words like an idiot. She cringed, “Anything else?”

“So you’re coming tonight, right?” Elsa asked before giving her a stern look that was meant to be menacing, “You have never once come out to our bar night. You are not getting out of it this week.”

“Elsa I’m really not feeling well and had an awful night’s sleep,” she had more excuses lined up but was interrupted.

“Emma Elizabeth Swan,” Elsa said with a finger pointed for added effect, “If you do not come out and have at least one drink tonight, I swear I will fire you.”

It was an empty threat, and it wasn’t the first time she had heard it. “Sure, you would die without me for at least the first two weeks” Emma laughed, “and I could just sit around enjoying my unemployment money… you know, wrongful terminations are typically frowned upon.”

“Oh, I will find a reason,” Elsa said, her tone much less sharp, “Come on, Emma. One hour of your life can’t be that bad.”

“I’m not going, Elsa,” Emma crossed her arms, “Definitely not tonight of all nights.”

Elsa perked up and Emma wanted to smack herself. She shouldn’t have given her an in on the Jones subject.

“And why _definitely_ not tonight? Is it because Killian Jones is irresistible? Because as HR Director, I must deter you -”

“Woah, woah - let me just stop you there, Elsa. No,” Emma said while throwing her hands up. “Just, no.”

“Someone is awfully defensive,” Elsa said with a knowing smile.

“I’m not defensive,” Emma said, “You know me, I’m not the dating type - sometimes I have an itch that needs scratching. But I have never scratched that itch with a coworker. Besides, I haven’t even met Killian Jones and I would like to keep it that way.”

“It’s unrealistic to think you can avoid him forever,” Elsa laughed.

“I can try,” Emma said with a shrug as she attempted to look busy with work again; hoping Elsa would get the hint.

“You’re coming tonight, I’m putting my foot down this time, Emma. No excuses, you can come have one drink. It wont kill you,” Elsa said, hands on her hips.

“Elsa -” Emma started.

“Dont ‘Elsa’ me, Emma Swan. I’m asking as your friend, please come have a drink with me? You don’t even have to talk to anyone else. I promise I wont make you.”

Emma sighed heavily as she slumped back in her chair. She had blown off bar night since it came into existence four months ago. It was Mary Margaret’s idea, of course, for everyone to have a chance to let loose after a work week. Not everyone went every week, but most people went at least once a month.

Everyone has gone at least once. That is, everyone except for her. Elsa had asked her almost every week, and she always found a way out. She knew her time would be up eventually.

“I hate you so much right now,” Emma grumbled.

“I love you, too,” Elsa said with a big smile, “So, tonight? See you at 7?”

With another heavy sigh, Emma said, “Yes.”

Elsa practically skipped to her office as Emma got back to work.

She hoped her day would drag on, like Friday’s normally do, but she wasn’t that lucky. Her day flew by and before she knew it she was standing in front of her closet, trying to decide what was appropriate for a partially outdoor bar, with coworkers in summer.

She didn’t feel comfortable wearing one of her sundresses, but it was too warm for jeans. She had never been one to agonize over what to wear, but after twenty minutes of staring she finally decided on a pair of jean shorts (not too short) with a coral tank top and off-white, flowy linen tunic. She finished it off with a simple pair of flat sandals and a side braid to keep her hair off her neck.

She arrived at the bar right on time. After getting her hand stamp, she went right to the large, square bar in the middle of the room and ordered a double whiskey. The bartender set it down and she shot it back immediately.

“Woah, do you want another one?” the brunette woman asked.

“Yes, but on the rocks this time. Thanks,” Emma said.

She couldn’t keep her nerves at bay, but she could feel the warmth of the whiskey spread through her chest. It helped her relax her shoulders as she made her way out of the air conditioned comfort of the bar and out into the adult playground.

She was taken back by the size of the yard, there were four, full-sized sand volleyball courts and plenty of room around them for firepits. There was an outdoor bar to her right, next to an outdoor stage that had a small band setting up to perform.

She spotted Mary Margaret and Elsa chatting by one of the firepits and made her way across the yard, careful to avoid flying volleyballs and keep her drink intact. The sooner she sat down and had this drink, the sooner she could leave. Maybe she could avoid the majority of her coworkers by leaving early.

“Hey Elsa, Mary Margaret,” she said as she approached the fire.

“Oh. My. God. Elsa… is it frozen out here?” Mary Margaret asked.

“No,” Elsa said, “Are pigs flying?”

“No,” Mary Margaret said, “Both of those seem more likely than what I see before me.”

Emma couldn't contain the laugh, “Cut it out, I said I would be here for _one_ drink. Here I am,” she lifted her whiskey, “and here's the drink.”

Emma sat and made herself comfortable in one of the chairs surrounding the pit. They were far enough back that the fire was more for ambience than warmth on the hot, August night. She sipped on her drink and spoke with her two friends. She was loath to admit she was having a nice time chatting with them.

They might even talk her into a second drink.

* * *

Killian arrived at the bar and found Dave as soon as he walked in, “Dave, mate! How are you tonight?”

“Great, Killian. Good timing, I can use the extra set of hands. I was just going to get another round, what’s your poison?” he asked with a firm slap to Killian’s back.

“Rum is my poison of choice, but I insist on buying my own.”

“Nonsense, consider if my welcome to town,” Dave said as his phone suddenly chirped loudly in his hand. He unlocked the device and his brows scrunched in concentration, then confusion, before finally it lit up with a wide smile, “Holy shit. I cant believe it!”

Killian was curious what could be so shocking, “What is it, mate?”

“I can’t fucking believe it,” Dave rambled, shaking his head, “we’ve been doing this for months now and she has never once graced us with her presence.”

Killian’s ears perked up, curious if he could be speaking of Emma. He’d tried all day to think of an excuse to go to payroll, but couldn’t think of one reason. He had given Elsa his new address and phone number yesterday, she would’ve passed it along to Emma already.

He desperately wanted to meet her. He wanted to know what color her eyes were, what her smile looked like; he wanted to hear her voice and her laugh. He wanted it fiercely and it was rather terrifying. He never felt so drawn to a woman he had never even spoke to.

He tried to sound casual as he prodded for more information, “You’ll have to be a bit more specific, Dave. I’m afraid I don’t know which _she_ you’re referring to.”

“Emma,” Dave said. Killian tried to withhold the smile that was threatening to spread wide across his face at the sound of her name. Dave finally looked up from tapping out a response on his phone and asked, “Have you met Emma?”

“No, I believe I’ve seen her in passing, but I’ve not had the opportunity to properly meet her,” Killian knew he was failing to keep his smile at bay.

Dave noticed too, “Don’t get any ideas about her, Jones.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re speaking of, mate.”

Dave ordered their next round of drinks before turning and saying, “Look, I try not to listen to rumors, but they are mostly unavoidable in that office.” Killian cringed, he knew that word of his transgressions in London had spread to the Boston office. Dave continued, “I’m guessing there is some truth to them, though I’m also guessing there is a lot more to the story. Either way, Emma has been dicked over a lot in her life by people who were supposed to care for her. She is not some conquest to be had.”

Killian was a bit taken back by the blunt tone, but couldn’t blame the man for passing judgement. Killian hadn’t done himself any favors while he was in his drunken, downward spiral. He sighed and looked Dave in the eye, “I know all the rumors that spread around. I wished I could say they were false, but I did screw up. I moved here to start anew after my own heartbreak. I already swore to myself to stay away from all of my coworkers, you have nothing to worry about.”

That seemed to please Dave, as he smiled and turned back to the barkeep to pay for the round. Killian found himself balancing his tumbler of rum, and two hard ciders while Dave took another tumbler of amber liquid and a beer for himself.

Killian followed Dave out into a large outdoor area filled with all sorts of activities. He was relieved he decided to go extra casual with flip flops after seeing all the sand around. They walked towards a firepit and that’s when Killian saw her; her head thrown back in laughter. She had on a flowy blouse and shorts; her long legs on display crossed in front of her.

“I never thought I’d see the day,” Dave bellowed, alerting the three ladies around the fire to their presence. Dave handed her the tumbler and pointed to Killian, “The ciders are for these two lovely ladies, Jones.”

Killian passed along the drinks and looked toward the only seat left available; it was next to Emma.

He made his way over and had to suppress a chuckle at her obvious reluctance to meet him. She was averting her eyes in every direction she could, shifting uncomfortably. He wanted to make her smile again, he wanted to make her laugh.

He really wanted to know what color her eyes were.

* * *

Emma was trying to think of a way she could run and not look like a total psycho. But instead she just shifted around endlessly in her chair as Killian approached her.

Dave had bought her another drink without asking. Mary Margaret’s not-so-discrete texting was obviously alerting him to her presence. She couldn’t run now, and here was the one person she was hoping to avoid.

Elsa piped up, “Emma! You haven’t met Killian yet. Killian this is Emma. Emma this is Killian.”

Emma squirmed further into her chair before giving her friend a pointed look and finally accepting the inevitable.

She finally met Killian Jones eye-to-eye. He was dressed casually in an unbuttoned, blue flannel with the sleeves rolled up. He had a grey henley under it, with all three buttons undone, and a pair of jeans with the bottoms rolled up and flip flops. His hair was artfully dishevelled and almost black, a striking contrast to his ginger scruff and cobalt blue eyes.

He was alarmingly handsome; she understood why the buzz hadnt died down in the office. Emma immediately lifted her defenses.

“Killian Jones. I must say, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance,” Killian said as he stretched his hand out in greeting.

“Emma Swan,” she said as she moved to shake hands. He had other plans, as he flipped her hand over and placed a gentle kiss to the back.

She pulled her hand away as if burned, and purposefully cold shouldered him. Deciding instead to busy herself in conversation with Dave. He volunteered at an animal shelter and this weekend was their big fundraiser event. He was excited about it, and it proved a decent avoidance.

Emma’s plan to leave before the rest of her coworkers didn’t succeed, before she knew it the whole office was there. There was no escaping, because she was trapped near the back of the crowd.

Suddenly, Dave had a bright idea, “Hey! We have enough people for a volleyball game. Let’s play a round, gang!”

There were cheers of agreement all around her, but all Emma wanted to do was run.

“You look like you would like nothing better than to hightail it out of here, Swan,” Killian whispered to her left.

She bristled up immediately, not used to people being able to read her emotions so easily, “And how would you know that, Jones?”

“It was written all over your face,” he said matter-of-factly, “You’re a bit of an open book, love.”

“I’m not your love,” she said automatically, which only seemed to make his grin spread.

“Perhaps not, but I would understand if you didn’t want to embarrass yourself out on the court,” he said.

She couldn’t believe it. Could he really read her so easily? How did he know the best way to get her out there was to jab at her pride. It must’ve been a lucky guess, “Please, Jones. I’m merely saving you from embarrassing defeat.”

He stood from his seat and started to saunter past her towards the rest of the work crowd, “Guess there’s only one way to prove it then, Swan.”

* * *

Killian was cursing the low lights of the fire, they didn’t give him enough light to see the color of her eyes. But it was light enough to see the spark of a challenge in her irises, and he knew he had worked the correct angle in goading her ego. He was confident she would follow him down the path to the sand courts.

Truthfully, he had no interest in playing volleyball, but he didn’t want her to leave; especially after she so adamantly ignored him for Dave’s conversation. He did so love a challenge, and he had never met a woman so resolute to ignore him.

The teams got split, and he was disappointed to see she was on the opposing team; though a part of him figured she intentionally did that. He kicked off his flip flops and rolled his jeans up another notch, hoping to keep them out of the sand. And found a position near the back of the court.

Dave was on Emma’s team, and served the ball first. It was hit by a few people on Killian’s team before finally making it’s way back across the net for the first point of the game.

The group fumbled on for the first few minutes until everyone got the hang of things. As the game played on, the teams rotated who served. When it came time for Emma to serve Killian was standing in the front row. He could clearly see the determination in her gaze; she was in the zone and she was bloody beautiful.

Her serve sailed directly to him, and he bumped it into the air to set it up for a bloke in the front row. The gentleman, Eric if his memory serves him correctly, spiked the ball over for another point in their favor.

His turn to serve soon came, and he was resolved to at least not make a total arse out of himself in front of his new coworkers. He would really like to do better than Swan.

He jumped and hit the ball with steady force, but tried to not fling it out of bounds. He was relatively pleased with himself when the ball flew over the net at a high speed and caught the opposing team off guard earning them another point.

“Well, Swan, seems I’m not so embarrassed after all,” he goaded as the ball was given back to him for another serve.

She huffed and rolled her eyes, “It was dumb luck, Jones.”

He served again, this time with more confidence as it sailed over the net and was met with a forceful spike by a very determined Emma Swan. Ariel was stationed in the front row of his team and screamed and ducked out of the way, garnering a point for Emma’s team.

“Like I said, dumb luck,” Emma said with a smug smile.

“You’re a tough lass, Swan,” Killian said, a huge smile plastered across his face, “I like it.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes before mumbling something he didn’t catch under her breath.

The game went on for another ten minutes before they found themselves tied 20-20 and facing the game point. Emma was standing directly across from him in the front row. He was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than the sweat that dripped down the hollow of her throat. It continued its slow path down her chest and dipped below the top of her blouse and out of his sight.

He gulped hard and tried to shake his head clear, but was too late. The next thing he remembered was the sound Emma made as she spiked the ball right down on him and his nose.

There was a sickening crunch as white hot pain spread across his face. He heard an audible gasp from the group as he dropped to his knees in agony. He tried with all his might, but was unable to stop the involuntary tears that sprang from his eyes under the force of the blow.

He vaguely recognized the sound of Emma barking orders for towels and ice as blood dripped down his nose and his waiting hands as he fruitlessly tried to stop the bleeding.

“Oh my god,” Emma said as she dropped to her knees in front of him. The sight of her so close made his heart leap from his chest.

Green, her eyes were a beautiful jade green; with little flecks of gold.

“I’m so sorry,” she continued, unaware of his personal revelation. “There is so much blood,” she reached frantically for the towels Mary Margaret just appeared with, “I think I broke your nose! Oh God, I am so, so sorry Killian.”

“It’s alright, love,” he grunted out through clenched teeth, “I most likely deserved it anyways.”

He winked at her, trying to lighten the mood.

She scoffed and smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand as she continued to fret over ice and towels for his nose, “I can’t believe you. You’re basically bleeding to death and you still have the energy to flirt?”

He chuckled, “Aye. I think I should probably head to the emergency room though.”

“I’m taking you,” Emma said immediately.

He raised his eyebrow high in question, “There’s no need Swan, I’ll just call one of those Uber cabs to give me a ride.”

“I’m going with you, Jones, so don’t bother arguing. This is _my_ fault,” she said, her eyebrows scrunched in concern.

“Don’t waste your breath, Killian,” Dave piped up, “She’s as stubborn as they come.”

Emma fiddled with her phone for a minute before she hoisted him upright and started to move him towards the front.

“The cab will be here in two minutes,” she said, concentrating on her phone.

“You really needn’t bother yourself with coming, Swan,” he said, trying to act nonchalant, “I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself.”

“This is my fault,” she said with a head shake, “I get too competitive. I have to make it up to you somehow.”

Killian couldn’t pass up the opportunity she just presented him with, so he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, “If you really feel the need to express your sympathies,” he tapped his lips with two fingers, “I could think of other ways.”

She threw her head back in laughter and it was the most glorious sight he had ever seen, “You are an incorrigible idiot.”

“I prefer dashing rapscallion,” she rolled her eyes, “scoundrel?”

“You’re something alright,” she said with a head shake.

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a one-shot... but we have a ton of birthdays coming up (Im looking at you Kath, KK, Amy, Mona, Heather, Miranda, Carrie and Sandra) so if one of you birthday girls want to request a part 2 I will happily oblige.


End file.
